Don't cry for me Josefina
by Pchefbeth
Summary: Zane dies unexpectantly and Jo is trying to deal with the grief...but is he really gone? Set post I'll be seeing you. Very M Rating!


_Just a one shot inspired by the thought of how Jo would handle herself if Zane died expectantly. I own no parts of Eureka, the people or the place, but I'll let you own it if you tell me when season 4.5 will air!_

_Warning- M Rating!_

Don't cry for Me Josefina

Jo heard her PDA buzz and she looked away from her lunch plate and recognized the 911 from Allison. Scooting back from her chair she jerked her head at her breakfast companion, Sheriff Carter. "It's Dr. Blake," she said as she rose from the table, and following her, they quickly walked out of the cafeteria heading towards the elevator bay.

When they walked into the infirmary Allison and Fargo stood in front of several computer screens that were being manned by several medical technicians.

Fargo barked into his PDA as Jo and Carter swiftly approached. "I don't care what his aides say," Fargo said into the phone- presumably at Larry, "you get him on the phone and don't take no for an answer, I want to know what the frak is going on down there!"

"What's going on," Jo asked as she scanned the monitors.

"It's the Zulu project," Allison told her without ever looking away from the screen.

Jo stiffened beside Carter as she recognized the name on one of the screens -Donovan.

"Am I supposed to know what that is," Carter asked Allison confused.

"It's the D.O.D project that we supplied several of our scientists for. It's so Top Secret that we don't even know where it's taking place. Fargo agreed to it," she said as her tone implied that she wouldn't have, "on the condition that we were allowed to test our new medical vital vest. Its wireless and can track a person's vitals from anywhere in the world without being intrusive. We're hoping to use it for the space program and in underground areas where signal strengths aren't strong."

"So what's happening," he asked as he noted that several of the monitors were displaying heightened level's of stress.

"We're not sure. We've been monitoring them for over a month and then this morning we started to register jumps in their stress levels. They've been like this for the past 20 minutes and now we're got one of the scientists in acute distress." She glanced back for the first time at him. "Carter, its Zane."

Fargo could be heard arguing with whoever was on the line, "I don't care if he's unavailable, we're registering dangerous levels on our people and I want to know just what the –"

But he was interrupted by the sonic squeal of one of the monitors as Zane's heart rate spiked and then flat-lined.

"Oh my God," Allison murmured.

The room fell silent as the monitor beeped again as his breathing stopped and the machine flashed a warning that the individual had no signs of life.

Allison pushed a button and the noise abruptly stopped, leaving the room silent.

Fargo murmured into the phone, "You get Mansfield on the line right now," he insisted in a flat voice. "One of my people is dead and I want to know what happened."

Carter turned back to speak to Jo but she was already gone.

_Later that Night. _

Jo's hands shook slightly as she opened the door to his apartment. She'd been wandering around Eureka without really knowing where she was going. Carter and Allison kept calling, but Jo just turned her PDA off, she didn't feel like speaking to anyone. She stepped through the doorway and into a room that she knew almost as well as she did her own home, even though she'd never stepped inside of it in this reality. The room was almost identical, so much so that she expected to hear Zane's voice come from the back bedroom as he called for her to make herself at home. She had always been at home here. As the emotions clogged her throat she swallowed hard and tried to keep them in check.

The apartment was hardly clean. Zane wasn't what anyone would consider a neat freak. Empty carry out containers sat in the recycle bin, and several books and magazines lay scattered on the coffee table he had in front of the couch in the living room. Instead of a dining room he had a large desk on which several computers sat. Here everything was neat and precise. Jo trailed her fingers over the keyboard needing desperately to touch something of his.

She turned back towards the door intending to leave, when she spotted his motorcycle jacket which had been thrown lazily across the back of the couch. She walked over to it with unsteady feet and smoothed down the sleeve, her fingers lingering on the rough material. She gripped it tightly in trembling hands and gathering it close to her, buried her face in the collar. The scent of him still lingered there, and as the familiar scent filled her nose, her eyes filled with tears. With a sob like moan she sank down to the cushion of the couch, letting the tears fall unchecked across her cheeks. She rocked back and forth, her sobs muffled by the jacket as she grieved.

Zane approached the front door to his apartment wearily. The past month had been exhausting, and the past few days even worse, but this morning had topped the cake. He and the other members of the team had watched one of their own die in front of them, without the ability to help or save him. The DOD was launching a full inquiry into what had occurred. Zane strongly suspected that the safety protocols that had been laid out by their team had been ignored, and now a man was dead. He couldn't wait to crawl into a hot shower and then into bed. He was due to go into GD at 7:00 am the next morning to provide Dr. Fargo a full report of what had occurred.

He let his duffle bag drop as he reached for his keys and stopped, baffled by the sight of his partially ajar front door. As he cautiously opened it he heard the unmistakable sound of someone crying. He entered the room and stopped short just inside the door, at the sight of GD's Head of Security who was sitting on his couch with her face buried in his jacket sobbing. She was crying so hard that she hadn't even heard him enter the room.

Zane stood rooted to the spot, and couldn't figure out what to do. He felt mildly uncomfortable, as though her were intruding on something private. He grimaced as he realized that she was going to be pissed when she realized he had seen her like this, but he couldn't fathom why she was in his living room of all places, crying as though her heart were breaking.

He said her name, but she didn't respond, so he took a step towards her and said her name again. Her head jerked up and she stared at him eyes wide with shock as tears continued to stream down her cheeks. She whispered his name, and her eyes welled with fresh tears. Concerned, he walked over and sat down on the coffee table across from her.

"What's going on," he asked as he removed the jacket from her hand. When his fingers brushed hers she gasped and hiccupped as a new set of sobs erupted from her chest. Her eyes roamed over his face, taking in the tired eyes and unshaven cheeks. She shook her head in disbelief as she tried to control her breathing. "They said you were dead," she managed to get out.

Zane shook his head slowly, no.

"But I saw," she began. "I watched your vitals, they were monitoring you," she insisted. "You flat lined."

"No, Henry Withers died. The poor bastard must have put on my vest this morning, and I was wearing his," Zane said as he rubbed his hands through unruly hair.

Jo nodded and turned her body slightly away, sniffling as she tried to wipe her damp cheeks with the back of her hands while she tried to compose herself.

"Jo."

She shook her head and closed her eyes.

He said her name again, and reached for one of her hands. "Jo, talk to me."

"I need to get back and let the others know," she said briskly as she withdrew her hand from his. "Fargo's probably already reassigned your lab space, and then there's the paperwork," she said as she stood, "Form 38B in triplicate."

Zane stood and blocked her from leaving.

"Why were you here," he asked her.

She felt another tear start to escape and brushed it away as she tried to move past him, but he stepped closer and tried to get her to look at him, but she wouldn't meet his gaze.

"Were you crying," he asked a little stunned at the revelation, "for me?"

She shook her head and tried to walk around him but he pulled her into his arms and kissed her, holding her against him until she responded. He pulled back slowly to look at her as he cupped her face in his hand. A rogue tear slipped from her eye and he brushed it away with the pad of his thumb as he said her name.

With a sob like sound she launched herself at him, molding her body against his as she kissed him. He wrapped his arms tightly around her as he staggered back, his hands gripping fistfuls of the back of her suit jacket as he tried to pull her closer. She angled her head to deepen the kiss and they stumbled backwards until Zane bumped into the living room wall. He quickly reversed their positions, pushing her against the wall, and reaching up to her ponytail, he pulled the band free that held her hair back, letting it fall loose around her shoulders. She moaned into his mouth as his tongue melded with hers, and her hands glided over his muscled back and down to his waist where she gripped him tightly.

Zane lifted his head and stared down at the dark haired woman before him as though he'd never seen her before. Her eyes were red from crying, and her hair hung loose in waves around her shoulders. Her lips were swollen and slightly chafed from his stubble. He doubted that anyone had ever seen her quite like this.

He bent his head again and kissed her lips, gently this time, searchingly. His fingertips brushed her cheeks, and he ran his fingers through her hair.

As his lips teased hers, she lifted one hand to his unshaven face and cupped his cheek, holding him against her, pulling her closer. He brushed his lips against hers once more and then he kissed her cheek, trailing a path down to the side of her neck just below her ear where he nuzzled her while holding her in a tight embrace. He waited until he felt her body relax a degree, all the while lightly kissing her neck above her collar.

He whispered into her ear, sending shivers down her spine as he spoke. "Tell me to stop right now Jo. Tell me that you want me to stop and I will."

She lifted her palms to his chest and pushed just slightly forcing him to back away. His shoulders slumped in disappointment as he reluctantly let her go. He fisted his hands at his sides in an effort to prevent himself from reaching out to her. This was where they'd left off before.

She stared at his chest, unable to meet his gaze. She took a deep breath and let it out in a rush as she lifted her hands and began to unbutton her suit jacket. He watched the movement with surprise as her usually steady fingers shook with the task, and so he reached out and stilled them with the touch of his hand. She wouldn't lift her eyes to look at him, so he threaded his fingers through her hair, until his fingers brushed the nape of her neck and he gently urged her head to lift and look up at him.

"I've wanted this since the first time you ever pointed a gun at me," he admitted and her eyes finally met his, "but I won't have you regretting it tomorrow."

She swallowed hard and tried to calm the quaver that she was sure would be in her voice. "I thought you were dead," she finally managed to get out, laying her hand palm down over his beating heart, needing to reaffirm that he was real, "and all I could think was that…." she set her jaw and looked away as she fought to control her emotions. He stood there patiently waiting for her to finish. "That I regretted not telling you how I felt sooner."

"Are you getting serious on me Josefina?"

The near echo of the familiar words sent a pang through her, and she looked down at her hands unwilling to let him see the truth that would surely be in her eyes.

"Because I wouldn't want to be the only one that's serious here," he continued.

Her head snapped up, and met his wistful expression with one of shock as his words penetrated. He bent his head lower and kissed her deeply. As her shock wore off she returned the kiss, and joyful exploration quickly changed to one of heated passion.

He tried to press her back against the wall, but she pivoted and he found himself pressed back against it as she pressed her body against his. He chuckled against her mouth and smiled, "God I love it when you do that," he told her.

He felt her answering smile against his lips and then her fingers were gripping the fabric of his shirt pulling his closer.

His hands left her waist, trailing lower until he grabbed the back of her thighs and lifted her up until she could wrap her legs around his waist. He moved them down the hallway towards his bedroom and pushed open the door as he struggled to remove her jacket sleeves from her arms. She was alternately attempting to lift his shirt up and over his head. Once successful they both flung the articles aside as hands met heated skin.

Zane walked them over to the bed and climbed on it with Jo still wrapped around his waist and lay her back upon the mattress and knelt above her. His hands now free to unbutton her shirt he tried to concentrate on the simple task of removing buttons while her hands skimmed along his chest and shoulders. As he opened her shirt wide he bent his head and brushed open mouth kisses along her collarbone and then trailed lower leading a path to the lace cups of her bra.

He smirked as his hands cupped her breasts, admiring the view. "Who would have thought that Jo Lupo would ever wear something so sexy beneath those staid and conservative business suits?"

"You out to know," she said as she rose up to nip him lightly on the chin, "you gave it to me," and then she rolled them both so that she was on top.

He tried to focus, which became increasingly difficult as she tossed her hair back and reached for his pants zipper. "You mean that you actually kept those?"

"Funny enough I found my dresser drawers filled with them when I got here," she told him as she took her shirt off and threw it on the floor. He stared at her dumbstruck. "This is the only surviving set," she said as she toyed with the straps inching them off her shoulders. "But do you really want to discuss this now," she teased.

He sat up, grabbed her hands, trapped them in his and held them behind her back. "I'll buy you 20 new ones," he promised as he licked and nibbled the flesh above the edge of the bra. Instead of struggling she arched her back pushing her breasts closer to his face. He held both of her wrists in one hand and used the other to undo the clasp on the back of the bra. She made a soft sound as it opened and he tossed the bra over his shoulder.

Within moments clothes went flying, and soon shoes, socks, pants and underwear lay scattered on the ground, forgotten remnants of the passionate war being fought on the bed. As he rolled atop her, he closed his eyes against the rush of pleasure at hearing her release as she yelled his name. He bit his lips to prevent himself from saying the words that rushed to the tip of his tongue, but they slipped out against his will.

After, they lay on the bed, arms and limbs entwined, unwilling to be the first to move away. She lay with her head pillowed on his chest, and she calmed her own racing heart by listening to the thundering pace of his. As he drifted off to sleep her heard her mumble, "I love you too." He smiled and drew her closer, burying his face in her hair, and kissed her on the forehead. Finally at peace, he drifted off to sleep.

_Some Eureka fluff to get me through the next 30 days until December 7!_


End file.
